Trump Pledges to Deport Haitian Immigrants From Ohio — Who are Here Legally — to Venezuela

Donald Trump on Friday vowed to deport Haitian immigrants in Ohio — who are there legally — and send them to Venezuela — where they aren’t from.

During a speaking event in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Trump took questions from the media. On multiple occasions, Trump continued pushing the baseless rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating people’s pets and have destroyed the town. He also referenced the town of Aurora, Colorado, which he claims has been taken over by Venezuelan gangs.

Colorado officials, while acknowledging that they have been dealing with gang activity in recent months, have called the claims “overblown.”

Trump, however, said he plans to enact “large deportations” in both towns.

“Maybe Springfield, maybe Aurora, maybe both,” Trump said in response to a question. “We’ll go there. I can say this: we will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio — large deportations. We’re gonna get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela. You know, [Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro] told [President Joe Biden] he’s not accepting anybody back. They moved all their criminals — not all of them, but the rest are moving in now. They emptied their jails in Venezuela, emptied their criminals, emptied the nests — they call them nests — of bad people. They’re all now in the United States and they’re now taking over cities. It’s like an invasion from within, and we’re gonna have the largest deportation in the history of our country; and we’re gonna start with Springfield and Aurora.”

That claim doesn’t hold up for multiple reasons. In addition to the pet-eating being thoroughly debunked by now, the Haitian immigrants in Springfield live in the town legally. Due to the ongoing conflict in Haiti, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services gave the Haitian immigrants Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Immigrants with TPS cannot be removed from the United States and can legally work here.

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!